


To See What Lies Beneath (And Embrace It): Re-edited

by RefugeeofTumblr



Series: Artemis Fowl and The World Eaters Saga [1]
Category: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
Genre: Artemis is a Lovecraftian monstrosity, Artemis is about 23 in this fic, F/M, Holly loves him anyway, also because we have to specify this, generally fluffy, hints of past childhood abuse, mild self-esteem issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 09:04:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16992081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RefugeeofTumblr/pseuds/RefugeeofTumblr
Summary: Artemis has accepted that seeing his true form isn't a pleasant experience for the people around him. But as always, Holly seems determined to be the outlier. A/H fluff.





	To See What Lies Beneath (And Embrace It): Re-edited

Artemis Fowl the Second was working. This was not unusual; it was, in fact, his normal state of existence. Artemis prided himself on his incredible intelligence, after all, and what use would such a prodigious brain be if he allowed it to go to waste doing mundane, normal things? So the young man sat alone in his study, surrounded by whirring computers, and typed as fast as one hand could allow.  
  
His focus was disrupted, however, when the door opened behind him. The Fowl heir’s eyes - one icy blue, the other a warm hazel - narrowed. A quick glance at the on-screen clock told him that it was late, even by his own standards, so who could possibly -  
  
Then he heard the patter of small feet on the carpet, and relaxed, smiling.  
  
“Ah, Holly. It’s good to see you.”  
  
The elf leapt up onto his desk, crouching to his left on the dark, aged wood. Her crew cut auburn hair was unusually tousled tonight, but a bright, genuine grin spread across her lips as she turned to face him.  
  
“Hey, Artemis,” she said, and shot him a cheeky wink. “I’d say you’re looking good tonight, but we both know I’d be lying. Those are some big bags under your eyes.”  
  
Artemis chuckled dryly. “Why thank you, friend. They are designer.”  
  
That earned an appreciative snicker from his elfin friend. But before she could continue the friendly teasing, Artemis made a subtle gesture with one hand and she fell silent, recognizing the sudden switch from jovial to serious. They made that switch often when they spoke.

Leaning back comfortably in his chair, Artemis met Holly’s gaze; they watched each other, silent and curious, each looking into eyes that were mirrors of their own. This was quite literal mirroring, as the pair had accidentally swapped eyes during a rather chaotic adventure through time. The end result, of course, was that both of them had one hazel eye and one blue. Thankfully, neither had minded the change, though in truth there was very little that could be done about it if they had.  
  
When he’d gotten his thoughts together, Artemis spoke. “You know I’m happy you’re here, but I can’t help wondering why you’d come when I wasn’t expecting you.”  
  
_Is something bothering you? Are you alright?_ That was what he really meant.  
  
Holly knew it too, and smiled. “I’m curious about something, that’s all.”  
  
He raised an eyebrow. _Explain?_  
  
Uncharacteristically, Holly was fidgeting. She cocked her head to the side as she spoke, as though unsure of her own words. “I’ve only seen your real form once, you know, and I didn’t get much of a chance to notice all the details at the time. So, um, can I see it again? If you’re okay with that, obviously.”  
  
To say that Artemis was surprised wouldn’t do it justice. He opened his mouth, realized that he had no idea what to say, and closed it again. But after a moment, he managed a single word:  
  
“Why?”

As a rule, those who had seen his true form once were not keen to do so again. Even his giant manservant Butler, who was in many ways both a surrogate father and his oldest friend, had admitted that seeing it made him rather uncomfortable. Well, more accurately, he hadn’t so much admitted that he was uncomfortable as he had pointed a gun in Artemis’ face and almost pulled the trigger. Yet here was Holly, a half-nervous, half-excited expression on her face, asking him to let her see something that he’d fought to hide for his entire human life.  
  
The elf shrugged at his question, self-conscious. She knew enough to know that her request was not an insignificant one. “It just feels wrong that you have to hide all the time. And, you know, I’d kind of like to know your real face.”  
  
Artemis shook his head slightly in disbelief. How could he show her? It was a minor miracle that she hadn’t abandoned him for good after the first time. He’d been terrified then. He could practically hear the echoes of his own voice begging her not to tell, _please don’t tell!_ And… she hadn’t. She’d kept the secret. So, after a moment, Artemis found himself nodding instead, because if Holly was still here after all the times he had hurt and lied to her, maybe this really wouldn’t make as much of a difference between them as he feared. (He tried to ignore the other voice piping up inside him, the voice that whispered tantalizingly about _acceptance_. He couldn’t deny Holly, he just couldn’t, and that was that.)  
  
“I’ll show you. If you’re sure, I’ll show you.”  
  
“Oh, okay.” An encouraging smile as she stepped back a little. “Thanks.”  
  
That was that, then. He took a few deep breaths, then let the changes take over. Muscles shifted beneath Artemis’ skin as long, powerful black tentacles unfurled themselves from his back, two on the right and one (and a… quarter?) on the left. Sharp, catlike claws extended as he flexed his left hand, allowing Holly to see them clearly in the light. But the most arresting change of all was the fact that his remaining blue eye began to glow, casting a brilliant red light over both the desk and the elf sitting on it.  
  
Holly’s eyes widened, though not in fear. “Wow,” she said, standing up and reaching out curiously to touch the lower of his left tentacles. It was little more than a nub, unlike its fellows, and Artemis tried not to flinch or show his discomfort. Why did she have to go directly for that one? Of course, he knew perfectly well why, but the tension still crept down his spine as though he’d been doused with ice water.  
  
He did relax, however, when he felt the gentleness of her fingers as she ran them over the stunted limb. Gentle. Yes, gentle was good.  
  
“Birth defect,” Artemis offered, and then cursed himself. _Speak in full sentences, not caveman gibberish_. “It’s a birth defect.” But Holly didn’t seem to mind the grammatical errors. She nodded instead, her gaze moving to his right hand, which lay unmoving on the desk. She’d obviously noticed that it hadn’t shifted with the rest of him.  
  
“Ah, yes, my hand. I suppose I’ve done a good job of hiding it, then.” He rolled up his sleeve, revealing where the prosthetic connected halfway up his forearm. Several long scars trailed up even further, disappearing beneath the bunched-up cuff of his sleeve.  
  
Surprise - more surprise than she’d shown at anything else so far - flickered across Holly’s face. “You lost a hand?” Her hand made an abortive movement, as though she wanted to touch, but she stopped, clearly sensing that the contact wouldn’t be appreciated.  
  
“It was before I was adopted as a Fowl.” His tone conveyed the rest: _it’s still a hard topic._  
  
Getting the message, Holly fell silent, and Artemis watched her contemplate what she’d learned for a moment before letting his gaze roam around the room. The study was quiet, with only the background whir of computers to fill the silence. Though Artemis would never admit it, the darkness of the room was calming to him - a leftover instinct, perhaps, from being raised in a cave system until he was eight. His first home hadn’t been just a cave system, of course, but that was beside the point. A fancy cave was still a cave, no matter how you spun your pitch.  
  
Movement caught Artemis’ attention, bringing his focus back to Holly. She had, he noticed, an air about her that made him suspect that she’d just finished making up her mind about something. _Curious._ Artemis raised an eyebrow.  
  
“So, what’s your species called?”  
  
This was unlike her, being so unreadable. It irked him more than he expected. So did the fact that she kept looking at his lips. _What is that about?_ He could hardly bear to draw the obvious conclusion. They’d talked about that particular subject before, after all, and Holly had made her feelings on the subject perfectly clear: _'Your elf-kissing days are over, Fowl.'_ Still, he supposed it was best to answer. Holly would tell him what he needed to know when she felt ready.  
  
“The word is somewhat lost to me,” he admitted, “but I do remember the meaning of it. ‘World Eaters’. Not a pretty name.” Here, a self-depreciating grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “And in many ways, I am a rather poor specimen.”  
  
His friend frowned at that, puzzled. “Poor specimen?”  
  
Artemis sighed. “It’s the truth. A birth defect, a missing limb. For any of my species, that would be a death sentence, usually at birth. It’s why I left while I still could.”  
  
He half expected Holly to say something, as pained as she looked by his words, but she simply shook her head and reached out to grasp his tie. Artemis blinked, nonplussed. Was she disgusted with him after all? Angry, perhaps?  
  
Then the elf leaned in and kissed him. Pure shock jolted down Artemis’ spine, and he gasped against her soft, sweet lips. _What in the name of?_ But for once, Artemis found himself reacting before he’d fully analyzed the situation; he kissed Holly back eagerly, tentacles moving of their own accord to wrap around her, drawing her close. The gentle warmth of her arms wrapping around his shoulders made him shiver with excitement. _She… loves me?_  
  
Even so, a part of him wondered if he’d been a little bit forward, and he took a breath to apologize, but she stopped him, pressing a finger over his lips. Artemis couldn’t help it: he laughed, low and genuine. Holly was very clearly not bothered by the tentacles wrapping around her body, if the roguish grin she gave him was anything to go by.  
  
_Well, in that case,_ he decided, _I certainly don’t have any complaints._  
  
“Finally figured it out, genius?”  
  
“I think so.”  
  
They kissed again, and a great many more times after that.

**FIN.**

**Author's Note:**

> Wanted to do some edits on this one, to fit with the new timeline I've been working on for the backstory.


End file.
